Chickenpox is extremely common and spreads easily among children – resulting in that telltale itchy red rash. So it’s no surprise that many parents at some point find themselves asking: can I go to work if my child has chickenpox? What do parents need to know? We talked to healthcare professionals to find out. Can I go to work if my child has chickenpox? General NHS advice is anyone with chickenpox should stay off school or work until no longer contagious (when the spots have all scabbed over). But if it’s only your child who has chickenpox and not you, what then? “Parents can go to work if their child has chickenpox, as long as their child has appropriate care in place,” says Dr Zulqarnain Shah, medical director at SSP Health and GP at SSP Health practice Colne Road Surgery. “Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection that can spread easily to others who have not had the illness or been vaccinated against it. Isolating a contact [eg. the parent of an infected child] is not necessary with chickenpox, as it is so common.” However, there may be times when extra caution is sensible. Most of the time, chickenpox is unpleasant but not serious – but it can cause complications in certain cases, such as for newborn babies, and people who are pregnant or have a weakened immune system. So if you are unsure whether you might have contracted the virus from your child and there is a chance of spreading it to somebody potentially vulnerable, it might be a good idea to seek advice. How long does chickenpox usually last? “Chickenpox typically lasts for two weeks,” says Dr Yiannis Ioannou, consultant paediatrician at The Portland Hospital (part of HCA Healthcare UK). “During the first few days of infection, new spots can appear all over the body. However, these should dry up after around five to 10 days. Scabs will form and eventually fall off. You may notice new spots appearing as older ones are healing. This is normal and nothing to worry about, as it can take around two weeks for all spots to dry up. “Unfortunately, it can be spread very easily. Someone infected with chickenpox can spread the disease to others two days before spots appear. Chickenpox can also be passed on through pregnancy. This can pose a threat to your unborn child,” Ioannou adds. “If you begin to suffer from any symptoms related to chickenpox [while pregnant], consult with your doctor as soon as possible.” Shah also suggests checking in with your GP if you are pregnant and your child gets chickenpox, but you’ve never had it before. How do you treat chickenpox? Chickenpox should clear up on its own eventually, so treatment is mostly about easing symptoms and preventing complications. Shah says: “Parents can give their child paracetamol to help reduce fever and relieve pain. Ibuprofen is not recommended, as it can cause a reactive rash. It is also important to keep the skin clean and dry to prevent infection of the blisters. Avoid using aspirin as it may increase the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness that can occur in children with chickenpox.” Chickenpox can be very itchy. Ioannou says applying calamine can help. “You can often buy this over the counter at your local pharmacy. Dab the lotion directly onto the spots to provide relief.” Keeping babies’ and toddlers’ nails trimmed and clean is also helpful, plus gloves and mittens can help prevent scratching. Are there times when chickenpox requires medical advice for children? Shah suggests chickenpox in children is usually mild. “However, there are certain signs that may indicate a need to speak to a doctor and get additional advice,” he adds. “These include a high fever that lasts more than four days, severe coughing or trouble breathing, severe skin rash, or if the child seems very sick or weak. Parents should also seek medical attention if their child has a weakened immune system.” Ioannou says it’s important to be mindful of dehydration in babies and younger tots too. He adds: “If you are worried about your baby or child it is always important to seek medical advice.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What is mitochondrial donation treatment and who can get it? Pensioner, 85, shares the simple switch that’s helped him to do 650,000 press-ups Angelina Jolie shares tribute to late mum and urges women with family cancer history to get checked

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An 85-year-old whose life changed when he adopted a vegan diet in his 60s and then started to exercise in his 80s is now challenging himself to complete one million press-ups before his 90th birthday and 100 ultramarathons before his 100th birthday entirely “fuelled by plants”. Paul Youd, who lives with his wife Teresa, 75, in Taunton, Somerset, decided to take up running in his 40s, but gave up after six weeks as his knees were “so sore” due to his arthritis – he said “everything was painful” and he “couldn’t shake hands, change gears, pull up the duvet or hold a kettle”. The grandfather-of-five then bought a bicycle to reduce the strain on his joints, but it was not until he decided to eliminate meat in his 60s to “avoid mad cow disease” and later try a completely vegan diet that he said he noticed incredible health benefits, including reduced inflammation. Paul, a keen animal rights activist who formerly worked in the RAF and Royal Australian Air Force and later became a bread maker, teaching at local schools and launching his own blog called No Bread Is An Island, said he initially eliminated meat and cheese from his diet, before giving up all animal products. He then decided he wanted to learn how to do a press-up aged 80, and has since set himself a target of doing one million before he turns 90, completing more than 650,000 so far. Now, aged 85, he is on a mission to take part in 100 ultramarathons before his 100th birthday and is raising money for the vegan campaigning charity Viva!. “You don’t know what you’re capable of until you actually try it,” Paul said. “Try something and get outside of that comfort zone, otherwise it’s stultifying. “I’m living my best life – who’d have thought it? “I’m now 85 and I’m living my best life, I really am.” Paul worked in communications in the RAF and Royal Australian Air Force and as a radio officer in the Government Communications Headquarters – otherwise known as GCHQ – before taking early retirement in 1993. He then decided to train as a teacher, specifically to fulfil his passion for bread making, which he said is “a tool for family learning”, and ended up teaching until the Covid pandemic. It was at this point, aged 80, that Paul’s fitness journey began. “I looked at home exercises and started doing lots of those, but mainly press-ups, and I’ve been doing press-ups ever since really,” Paul explained. “I’ve got this challenge to do a million press-ups between the ages of 80 and 90.” Prior to the first lockdown, Paul could not perform one press-up – but he now does 1,000 every three days while listening to the news or a podcast, and has done more than 650,000 so far. After previously failing to take up running in his 40s owing to the pain caused by his arthritis – the common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint – he decided to try again in his 80s as he said his vegan diet, which he adopted in his 60s, had “changed (his) life”. A vegan diet is based on plants, such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits, the NHS says. Vegans do not eat foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs, and Paul said his mantra at the time was: “I don’t want another animal to die so that I can live.” Paul realised he was no longer in pain while chasing one of his grandsons around the dining room table, and this prompted him to start running around his garden. Soon enough, Paul improved his stamina and after three months he said he felt “confident to do a 10k every day, for 10 days, to raise money”. “I thought that I was going to get more tired as the week went on, but I didn’t,” Paul explained. “I got stronger and in the end I did 110k rather than the 100k I’d set myself.” The father-of-two said he quickly became “addicted” to running and wanted to “keep up this level of fitness”, so he was advised to look into ultramarathons – endurance running races or treks beyond the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42.2km). Paul then completed his first ultramarathon in July 2021 – the Devon Coast to Coast, which is approximately 100km long – and said he has been “hooked” ever since. He said he loves “the euphoria” and “freedom” he experiences while running. “I just thought, I can do this,” Paul said. “I realise I should have been a runner all along because I just fell into it, I love it. “It’s a feeling of freedom and it’s a feeling of accomplishment – I’ve gone out and done this. “I’ve never ever regretted going out and training … and sometimes you get to that state of mind where you think, gosh, I could run forever, and it’s a good feeling.” Paul has completed nine ultramarathons so far and has a collection of medals on display in his home, but wants to do 91 more before turning 100 – all supported by his family and wife Teresa, who says he is “determined”. Being a vegan and animal rights activist, he said his motivation to keep going is “the desire to see animals not hurt or tortured”. He added: “If I can do anything to mitigate or alleviate that, then I will.” Some of Paul’s ultramarathon races will be virtual, where he will cover the full distance using an app, while the others will be at a specified location. He completed a 250km simulated trip from Russia to Lapland before Christmas last year using the exercise tracking app Strava to measure his distance. To maintain his fitness levels, Paul runs or walks every weekday, covering a distance of 60km per week on average, and uses a kettlebell for strength and conditioning exercises. He said he takes no medication and wants to maintain his health for as long as possible, as he does not want to “bother the NHS or the care system”. He follows a strictly vegan diet and will usually have a fruit smoothie every day – comprising kale, spinach, dates, blueberries and bananas – along with flax seeds, nuts and “lots of leafy green vegetables, beans, lentils and legumes”. He also takes beetroot juice as a performance enhancer. Paul, who still bakes bread in his spare time, said he has realised “ultramarathons are within his comfort zone” – something he never thought he would say – and he would encourage anyone else to take up running or try a vegan diet as the results for him have been “remarkable”. “We can all do much more than we think we can,” Paul said. “If I’d have recognised the fact that we can all do more than we think we can many years ago, if I’d have done that, who knows what would have happened? “But I got there in the end.” Read More Robert De Niro reveals he’s welcomed seventh child at 79-years-old Woman flew 900 miles in wrong direction due to last-minute gate change Four ‘red flag’ bowel cancer symptoms that can show two years before diagnosis Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The U.S. has approved more than $42 billion in federal student loan debt forgiveness for more than 615,000 borrowers in the past 18 months as part of a program aimed at getting more people to work in public service jobs, the U.S. Department of Education said this week

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Nick Cannon has shared ex-wife Mariah Carey’s reaction to his large, extended family during a recent podcast appearance. Cannon, who has 12 children with six different women, shares twins Monroe and Moroccan, 11, with the “Hero” singer. In an episode of The Jason Lee Podcast released on Tuesday (9 May), the Masked Singer host said Carey is “high frequency” about him having so many children. The 42-year-old added: “She always asks me, ‘You aight? You good? How you doing? You handling it all?’” Cannon and Carey were married from 2008 until 2014, when they filed for divorce Explaining how Carey feels about Cannon fathering so many children, he said: “She’s like, as long as you don’t bring none of that bulls*** to the Manor of Carey. “Like, she lives in her own world, nothing can infiltrate that stuff. When we talk daily, she’s just checking on my spirit,” Cannon continued. Last month, Cannon said fatherhood is “my number one and first priority” and that providing for his children is his “goal in life”. He told People: “I understand that my lifestyle isn’t typical to society and can be viewed as unorthodox in some ways. But my goal in life is just to love my kids and be there for my kids and provide for them.’ During a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cannon defended himself against claims he’s a “deadbeat dad”, explaining he makes over $100m a year to provide for them. He said: “Right now the narrative is, ‘He has a bunch of kids,’ But I’m really at a place now where I don’t care what people know. I’d rather just operate. “It’s more about really being a good person instead of telling people you’re a good person,” Cannon added. Cannon recently sparked backlash after saying he would be “all in” to have a baby with Taylor Swift, during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. In addition to co-parenting Monroe and Moroccan with Carey, Cannon shares sons Golden Sagon, six, and Rise Messiah Cannon, six months, and daughter Powerful Queen, two, with Brittany Bell. He has twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, 21 months, and daughter Beautiful Zeppelin, four months, with Abby De La Rosa. Cannon has a son, Legendary Love, eight months, with Bre Tiesi. He has a five-month-old daughter Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole. He’s also father to two children with Alyssa Scott, son Zen, who died at five months old in December 2021 after being diagnosed with brain cancer, and daughter Halo Marie, three months. Read More Viral coronation song: No, the choir did not sing ‘I love vagina, Camilla’ Robert De Niro becomes father to seventh child aged 79 Tom Holland reveals he’s been sober for over a year